The One Book One Community committee announced that “Hidden America: From Coal Miners to Cowboys, an Extraordinary Exploration of the Unseen People Who Make this Country Work” by Jeanne Marie Laskas is the book selection for this year’s program.

EVANSVILLE - A book that gives readers a "rare look at America from the inside out" is this year's One Book One Community selection — "Hidden America: From Coal Miners to Cowboys, an Extraordinary Exploration of the Unseen People Who Make This Country Work."

Amy Mangold, community relations and development officer for Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library, said Jeanne Marie Laskas' nonfiction book was something the One Book One Community committee thought would resonate with local residents.

"It hits close to home," she said. "We are a Midwest town close to coal miners, air traffic controllers, immigrant workers and farmers. We thought this book would be a way to recognize and honor those people in our community."

Laskas' book documents the lives and work of those Americans depend on the most — coal miners, oil workers and migrant workers — but know the least about. The investigative journalist, author and teacher didn't just interview her sources she experienced life with them.

Some of her adventures included going deep inside a coal mine, living in a migrant worker camp, accompanying a female trucker hauling tractor parts across the Midwest and traveling to an oil rig 250 miles above the Arctic Circle.

"I'm inviting America to steal a glance into these worlds, some hugely complicated industries, some tiny and private contributions, to wander with me and consider the everyday anew," Laskas wrote in the book. She was unavailable for an interview Wednesday.

This is Evansville's 12th year for participating in the reading program. The grass roots effort was developed to help create a shared experience of people reading and talking about the same book.

Laskas is director of the writing program at the University of Pittsburgh and also teaches creative writing there. She's written five other books and has been writing for several national magazines for the past 20 years. She will speak about her book and career as an investigative journalist at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29 at The Victory in Downtown Evansville.

In addition to planned book clubs and discussions throughout the community, Mangold said the committee has talked about involving some local "hidden" workers to speak at school programs or events throughout the community as well as possibly highlighting some of their stories during Laskas' presentation in October.

"There are so many people out there doing jobs that are very important and that many of us take for granted," she said. Mangold said Laskas was "very excited" about her book being this year's selection and coming to speak to the community, especially when she heard about involving local workers.

The library has dozens of copies of the book at each of its locations and Barnes & Noble Booksellers on Green River Road will have a special display of the book soon along with upcoming programming around it, said Mariana Mudd, community relations manager for the bookstore.

"The book is quite diverse and is an easy, enjoyable read," she said. "I think a lot of people think nonfiction might be boring, but this book has a lot of humor and some surprises."